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The Sovereignty
'''OVERVIEW''' '''THE GALAXY & UNIVERSE''' The Galaxy and wider universe in Sovereignty literature works is different than most out there. Civilizations are very rarely equal in terms of technological progress and science as there's going to be some differences in timing regarding when a species developed writing, or developed steel-making, etc.. Also, some of the powers in the Galaxy are so ancient and so powerful that we're just not evolutionarily able to understand them--it's like a field mouse trying to understand us. An example; The World Walkers...they've outlived their own home Galaxy, leaving for ours when the last stars in it began to die. They're not energy beings, they're quite physical and not a 'dying' species. They are not hostile, and are careful not to disturb the 'ecosystem' of their new home Galaxy, which means they leave the 'younger' species alone. The technology and sciences of a species like that in incomprehensible to us, so I keep them as pure background and no character will ever have a true conversation with one. Imagine yourself trying to speak with a gopher about anything relatable. The most notable civilizations in my literary Galaxy are Annunaki, Selinians, Humanity, and some others like The Greys. There's roughly a hundred 'lesser' civilizations in the Galaxy, spread across it, with varying levels of technology. More than a few are not Humanoid--which presents it's own challenges. Not all species breathe the same atmosphere or have the same life-support requirements. There's also the 'Graveyard Worlds'. '''THE GRAVEYARD WORLDS''' In the history of the Galaxy, many species have achieved sentience and tool-making, but few ever manage to get past the hurdles to become an Interstellar Civilization. The hurdles are Nuclear technology, Biological technology, and Nano Technology. The Galaxy is full of dead or nearly-dead worlds where one species or another destroyed itself using one of the three technologies mentioned. Humanity is presently facing such hurdles and thus far has done alright, but Humanity could become another lost species as it is still learning how to handle such powerful technologies. These worlds are generally left alone for good reason. The levels of contamination from visiting one can often be problematic, and in some cases devastating. Still, this does not stop some from going on expeditions to reclaim, salvage or study what's been left behind out of intellectual curiosity or profit motive. Visiting these worlds is actually a fairly frequent thing among some, there's more than one Selinian cruise line that stops by a few so the passengers can look down from the safety of orbit and consider things. Some species have developed interstellar travel, located a Graveyard World and immediately launched an expedition to it in the hopes of claiming advanced technology or studying a long-extinct culture--only to bring back something that they contained improperly and leads to the destruction of their own world and species with horrifying swiftness. This Universe of mine is not anything like STAR TREK, STAR WARS, or any of the others--although it does coincidentally resemble certain aspects of the HALO franchise slightly and there is the same aspect regarding the 2009 STAR TREK also in certain small ways. '''INTERSTELLAR RELATIONS''' In general, most civilizations have few, if any, trade links with others. Example; Earth today has a self-sufficient economy because we have no off-world trade. Interstellar trade is hardly a necessity for some very practical reasons. With advanced technology and lots of empty star systems to choose from gaining resources isn't an issue. Food production is easily accomplished because with the right technology, and it needn't be really advanced, setting up agricultural farms on stations orbitting stars is easily doen and frees the crops from being damaged or destroyed by natural phenomena such as storms. Raising livestock, again, is easily done as feed is cheap, and hollowing out an asteroid gives you an immense amout of room for raising food animals. Also, meat can be grown in growth-tanks and the livestock only contribute their genes while otherwise living calm and pleasant lives. Interstellar trade would only occur where certain unique things are at issue, and valuable enough to justify the shipping expense. Certain spices and such, luxury goods, things like that where there's a definite market but not one large enough to justify local production. Trade in refined resources can occur, depending on the price and how badly needed a given resource is at the time. drugs are extremely unlikely as what's going to influence one species would very likely be poisonous to another. Although it's concievable that a given drug might have a molecular component one species might want for something un-related to it's original purpose, thus there would be a trade in a drug, as a 'raw source' for the desired component. The Sovereignty and it's main species/race called Selinians are something I've been working on steadily since about 2004-ish. I have a lot of work into them, right down to dining customs and such minutiae that although not strictly important, lend a sense of detail and depth. My reasoning is simple; I don't want to walk the same path as all the others before me who have created alien species and races. I want to do something different, something that hopefully stands apart from the rest and doesn't come across as just more 'humans in rubber masks'. Lately, I've become aware of the MASS EFFECT universe, and will be messing around with some fan-fiction regarding it, just for fun. HALO also. The opening is there, as a vast section of the Galaxy in MASS EFFECT is unexplored, uncharted and has no known Mass Relays, ditto HALO. Also, it's a big place, and Selinian technology as I've developed it and them doesn't need much alteration or tweaking to fit in properly to either. Selinians are not your usual run-of-the-mill aliens who all have the same hairstyle and wear clothing that looks like they started killing furniture and skinning it to make clothes. They are relatable enough to Humanity for there to be meaningful communication, but the differences are at least as equally important. The technology they employ is quite different than what is used in many other universes, especially the MASS EFFECT universe but again, there are openings that permit for such. In MASS EFFECT the Reapers have shaped the technological development of every species in the area of the galaxy where the Citadel resides, and as is mentioned, they do this to ensure that species climbing the ladder of technology do not develop other, possibly better, technologies. Selinians do not fit into the STAR TREK universe. I've tried it, and have had many long conversations about it with my hubby and some friends who are deep into sci-fi, and they just don't 'fit' that universe. Selinian technology is one of the biggest hassles in dropping them into other universes apart from the one I made around them. They have a history stretching back over one-hundred and fifty Millenia, and the technology they have is as appropriate to that kind of civilizational age as I could manage. They have a unique, or nearly so, position with regards to Artificial Intelligence systems--they call them Machine Intelligences, and between the Selinians and the Machine Intelligences the Sovereignty is truly a hyrbid civilization. The MI's have been evolving on their own for tens of thousands of years, effectively a species in every sense of the word and are not treated as tools or such by Selinians. The MI community of the Sovereignty has it's own worlds and interests, but is an integral part of the Sovereignty as much as the Selinians themselves. The Sovereignty is NOT the 'federation'. Selinians are pragmatic to a ruthless degree and have little to no interest in bringing other sentient species under their sway. Interstellar trade is limited as the Sovereignty has a self-sufficient economy (like Earth does right now, just on a much larger scale) and resources are simply not an issue for them. This means that while Selinians are not an Isolationist people, they do keep to their own affairs and leave others to their own in like fashion. The exceptions to this attitude and perspective is when a species, or multi-species governmental entity is advanced enough to attract their attention. In the MASS EFFECT universe, the Citadel Regions and it's races are such an entity. While Selinians do have an extreme degree of natural curiosity, they are also extremely aggressive but intelligent and capable of keeping themselves in check to establish proper and carefully-done First Contact missions. Selinians prefer to avoid interstellar wars with outside, non-Selinian species because it's such a horribly wasteful thing when it does happen and the Sovereignty will not risk the lives of it's citizens and soldiers without adequate cause and proper justification. That said, if you start a war with Selinianity, they'll do all they can to finish it--and this could well mean your homeworld being turned into a white-hot molten orb of rock orbitting a destabilized star. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_flares The Basis For 'Star-Sword' Weapons Systems] Selinians do not fight for honor, and they have no Rules Of Engagement. Selinians at war with an external species treat it as a strictly Species-Survival issue and approach it with a frightening ruthlessness and an absolute lack of anything even remotely like mercy or compassion for the enemy. In the end, for the enemy species it comes down to either being rendered extinct, or offering an Absolute and Unconditional Disarmament and Surrender. Selinianity has exterminated enemy species before without even the ghost of a second thought and never is there any regret. The perspective is this; If the enemy was willing to start a war, then they did so willingly and with full knowledge of what the potential consequences could be, and if they didn't want to be annihilated, they could have surrendered at any point before being obliterated. The species that have engaged Selinianity in war and then surrendered when it became clear where things would lead have become Client Races under the Sovereignty. For the Client Race, this means assistance in post-war recovery and protection from external threats by the Sovereignty Military as well as a requirement to adhere to certain areas of Sovereignty Law and Regulation. However, there is no say in Sovereignty affairs and politics and weapons beyond a certain level of technological level are absolutely forbidden to the Client Race. The Client Race is strictly regulated in the number and type of ships it may produce, license, and have in active service at any one time. The Sovereignty is not big on accepting Client Races in general outside of those who have surrendered to them in wartime conditions. Selinians as a people and as individuals are very self-sufficient, and the Sovereignty was built by Selinianity without any external assistance. In their section of the Galaxy they are the oldest race in existence, although there are many dead worlds and ruined star systems in that area of the Galaxy testifying to the existence of races that are long dead. The races other than Selinianity are all quite a bit younger, the oldest among them only having ten Millenia of history. The younger races tend towards seeing opportunity for themselves in joining the Sovereignty, but are quickly disappointed when they are politely refused. Despite this, the relations between Selinianity and the neighbouring races is generally quite diplomatic as the Sovereignty is rather tolerant of minor infractions of it's space regarding mining and such so long as citizens are left undisturbed and nothing overly destructive is done. Colonization within Sovereignty space is absolutely forbidden, and dealt with swiftly and with a certain degree of harshness to ensure the point is made. There is little contact between Selinians and the younger races as the only ones in the Sovereignty with any genuine interest in them are of the Sociological and Sapientological disciplines of study and research. But, Selinians do their best in being good guests when visiting abroad beyond the borders of the Sovereignty. They may not be the most extroverted of people in dealing with non-Selinians, but they are not the jerks of the Galaxy. '''CULTURAL ASPECTS'''=